Shackle device



July 2, 1935.

SHACKLE DEVI CE Filed May 28, 195o PatentedlJuly 2K, 1935 e i l A UNITEDSTATES? PATENT OFFICE signor to The Fafnir Bearing Company," New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application May 2s, 1930, serial isis-456515; s claims.V (01;2671-5@A Myinvention relates tomeans for preventing end of the left front spring of a left-hand drive so-called Shimmying of a motor vehicle. automobile. 5 indicates part of -the frame of a It is well known that there is often'a tendencyV motor vehicle,'whi1e 6 indicates a spring. The of the'frontwheels ofian automobile to wobble or rear end of the spring (not shown) is shackled 5 .oscillate,1whichy movement is' usually termed tok the `frame 5. so as to permit the rear end to 5 shimmying.v It' has been found that the tendmove freely duringA flexing of the spring. The ency .to shimmy is reduced oreliminated if both forward end ofthe spring I5 is connected to the ends f J011e front Spring on the drivingv side of frame 5 by a resiliently held shackle device which the automobile are 'shackled to the frame and the extends upwardly from the Spring end l0 'the l0 fore and aft rocking or shackling .movement of. frame so that as the spring 611s flexedtheshackle ll0 One of the shackles is resiliently resisted. vVi-,twill have afore and aftfoscillating movement. rious methods of resiliently resisting the shack-A In the fOIm illustrated I employ a ball lellrlgv ling movement a shackle. `at one end of the Spring shackle. In this form the frame is pro-v n spring have beenzproposed, but there are celu vided with 1a pin' I securely held in an1eye ofthe tain disadvantages to those now in use. For frame, as by means of a drive t and optionally 15- BXample. Somel of the Vknown devices project by means of a set screw or the like 8 taking into beyondthe shackle and beyond the end of the the. Central tapered `groove of the pin 'I...The spring or transversely of the spring, .s0 as to ends of the pin I project beyond thesides of the either reduce ground clearance@ present an un- Aframe 5 and in the form illustratedA are provided sightly appearance, with raceways such as 9, formed directly thereon. 20

Itis the principal object of the present in- The spring 6 is provided with a Din l0, which may vention to provide an improved, resiliently held be and 'Preferably S in all Substantial respects shackle device, which will not be unsightly and the Same as thepln l and may be held in the which will not; Substantially reduce ground clearspring eye, as heretofore noted in connection with ance. the pin 1. f 25 It is another object to provide a resiliently held The shackle imm-des Side links l l-l l con' shackle device, which is relatively simple in conncted t0 each other by Suitable means- In the struction and effective in Operation illustrated form'the links II--II are integral with other objects will appear as the description a securing. and spacing member I2 extending proceeds, therebetween. Each link, at spaced points, is 30 briefly stated, in a preferred form .of the 1 provided With seats, as I3, for receiving antifricvention I employ a shackle of suitable construction bearing raceway members Such as bearing tion for connecting the frame and front spring Cups M' which may be held in place as by means of an automobile on the driving side. The shackle of Screw plugs '5- Such plugs if desired' may be carries an arm or projection which is suitably locked by means of a locking plate '6 and cap 35 held 'and resiliently holds the shackle in normal Screw n" Abtifrlcton bearing members Such as operating position. The arm preferably lies bebans la" are interposed between the-bearing race' vtween the frame and spring so that ground clear- Way members ll and tbe raceways 9 on the bear" ance is not reduced, nor are there any dangerlng pms. 1 ,and lo' Sulla'ble Closure rings la may 40 ous unsightly or cumbersome projections extendbebrovlded for excllldlng dust and retaining lu' 40 ing beyond the end of the spring or the frame end. brlba'nt 0nbllb antlflllctlon bearlng members and Anti-friction bearing members may be embodied then resbectlve laceways When .an integral in the shackle to reduce friction, prevent squeaks type of Sllackle as .llele lllustratebl .ls .employbd and rattles, and provide for general smoothness assembly Wlll belacllltatd by pro'vldmg each Slde y of operation. l hnk at the bearlngportions thereof with assem- In the drawing which shows, for illustrative Ictcuag glslczoed m Smlth Patent No' 52211565 only a preferred form of the mven' l The shackle is provided with an arm or projectlon I9, which, in the form shown, is integral 50 Fg '1 is an end View in partial Section. 0f a therewith. The arm I 9 extends in a direction'50 shackle deVCe embodying the invention and .so as to 11e in ar generally horizontal] plane. be..

Showing fragnlnlispf a Spring and frame; tween the frame 5 and spring 6, so as to be in Flg. 2 1s a side view of the shackledevice and effect concealed between the frame and spring, associated parts of Fig. v1. so that the shackle device does not present an The device is illustrated as applied to the frontv unsightly appearance, -nor is the ground clearance decreased by the arm I9 or any part cooperating therewith. The shackle is resiliently held in normal position by suitable spring means and, in the form illustrated, I employ a spring 20 surrounding a pin 2| carried by the arm I9. The spring 20 is interposed between the frame 5 and the arm I 9. A second spring 22 is interposed between a.head 23 on the pin 2I and .the frame 5, so as to 'act against 'the spring 20, whereby the two springs together normally hold the arm I9 and shackle device in normal operating position, which may be considered substantially the position shown in Fig. 2.

Thus, when the car is driven, the shackle `on the end of the spring opposite that sl'iownwrliiiy-` oscillate or shackle freely, while oscillating movement of the shackle II-II is resiliently resisted by the spring means, as shown. Theresistafnce of the springs 20-22 is so determined that the shackle II-II may oscillate to a limited extent and against `the resistance of one or the other of thetsprings, such oscillation being suiiicien't in extent to either materially reduce or :entirely eliminate the tendency of the car to shimmy.

4'llie invention has been illustrated in connec-` tion with a ball bearing spring shackle. It is to "be'understood, however, that the invention is of broader `application and maybe embodied in a plain bearing or othertype of shackle. It is 'also tobe understood that the invention is in no sense limited toashackle in which the side links are integral with'each other, and that various other changes, modifications, additions and `omissions may bei made within the scope of the invention f as defined in the appended claims.

ried by said spring and having ends projecting beyond the sides thereof, a shackle comprising side members, antifriction bearing member raceway members carried by said side members, antiiriction bearing members interposed between said raceway members and said pin ends, said shackle side members having a part integral therewith for securing the same together in definite relationship, `an arm integral with said shackle and extending from one side only of said shackle at a point between said frame and spring, a compression spring for resisting upward movement of said arm 4fand1 rearward movement of said shackle, and

a4 compression spring for resisting downward movement of said arm and forward movement ofwsaid shackle, for Athe purpose described.

2. In a. device of the character indicated, a

`Vshacklemeans including two side links, means yfor `rigidly connecting said links to each other, ybearing means to be carried by a frame and spring, antifriction bearing members interposed between :said-bearing means'and said sidelinks, an arm rigidly-carried? by the means for rigidly connecting'said side links-said arm extending in' a generally `horizontal direction to lie 'between the frame Aandspring, and meansfor resiliently resisting up and down movement of 'said arm `and fore and aft movement of said shackle.

3. In a device of the character indicated, a.

shackle including side links, bearing lmeans to be'carried by affrarne and spring, antifriction bearing members interposed between 'saidbearing means and said sidevlinks, and means wholly at one side of saidshacklefor resiliently resisting fore and aft movement of said shackle, said means including an arm projecting rigidly fromv a part of said shackle between its `ends rand extending in a generally horizontal direction. JAMES R. CHAMBERLAIN 

